Inside Unmanned Systems

AUG-SEP 2018

Inside Unmanned Systems provides actionable business intelligence to decision-makers and influencers operating within the global UAS community. Features include analysis of key technologies, policy/regulatory developments and new product design.

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26 unmanned systems
inside
August/September 2018
AIR
IPP ALASKA
University of Alaska-Fairbanks has
been looking at some things. We're
looking at some things. And so we
hope to be able to collaborate on some
of those technologies as well."
In addition to doing inspections
along the TAPS, the Alaska team will
also be monitoring several smaller
pipelines including natural gas infra-
structure in the Cook Inlet—looking
for leaks and things like people in the
area, Cahill said.
" There's some 40 and 50 mile
stretches where we'd like to go beyond
line of sight along those pipelines,"
Cahill said. Cook Inlet is one of the big
fjords that run north to Anchorage.
"There are some protected popula-
tions of whales in there, Cahill added,
"so some of what we've talked about
doing is monitoring of whales using
unmanned aircraft."
MORE MISSIONS
Though the BVLOS work is now the
clear focus, it may only be the begin-
ning of what the Alaska team will be
tackling.
Alaska submitted five areas of en-
deavor when it applied for the IPP
program. Working with the FAA, the
UAF team decided to concentrate on
BVLOS for long line linear inspec-
tions—but once that work is done the
team should be able to expand their
activities to encompass more of their
original proposal.
Part of that plan was combining the
pipeline monitoring with monitor-
ing of other things along the way, like
checking for problems with the roads.
"For example, up in Thompson
Pass, which is down by Valdez, (the
Depar tment of Transpor tation) is
concerned about avalanches. They're
concerned about deteriorating road-
ways, asphalt, etc. They've got an
airport that they need to survey for
obstructions," Cahill said.
Bad roads are one of the reasons the
team also wants to work on drone de-
livery of medical necessities between
the towns of Indian and Hope, which
sit six to seven miles across from each
other across the Turnagain Arm fjord.
"This is going to be something in
A laska that'll be ver y impor tant,"
Cahill said. "We have very few roads
and often the roads are in terrible
condition in the middle of winter. So
this would be a case where the high-
way that goes around Turnagain Inlet
frequently has rockslides, avalanches,
etc. that close it. And even if it's not
closed it's over an hour around—if the
roads are good. Of course, worse and
it'll give you a longer time. But we
could go to the little town of Indian
and f ly something across."
The team also would like to tackle
developing the safety cases for night
f lights, particularly because of the long
nights in the northern regions, and
for operations over people. The latter,
Cahill said, would support urban law
enforcement in Anchorage and enable
drones to be used to film things like
the start of the Iditarod—a use case
cited by Secretary of Transportation
Elaine Chao when she announced the
teams selected for the Integration Pilot
Program.
Finally, Cahill is hoping to develop
BVLOS capabilities to expand the uses
of drones in remote areas in Alaska
where just getting to a job site can be
deadly dangerous.
There are things like fish and wild-
life counts that need to be done in the
canyons and other remote areas, she
said, but there are few roads and f lying
people in can be risky. Doing search
and rescue operations in these areas
also can be perilous.
Many of these tasks could be done,
or at least supported, with drones, she
said, and working up the concept of
operations for doing such remote op-
erations will improve safety by taking
pilots and biologists out of manned
aircraft.
"We lose a lot of pilots and biologists
to crashes in Alaska," Cahill said.
The technology is there to
fly these long ranges. We
just need to make sure we
have the correct sense and
avoid aircraft detection
protocols in place."
Jacques Cloutier, drone expert, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
"
IPP team member Alyeska began
trying pipe inspection with drones
in 2013.
Photo courtesy of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company.